In many forms of motorized transport and particularly in marine applications, the engine and the vehicle, to which the engine is to be fitted, are produced by different manufacturers. To simplify installation and to ensure a high degree of operational reliability, it is desirable if the engine can be delivered to the vehicle manufacturer as a complete unit, i.e. with as many ancillary components, such as water pumps, alternators and oil pumps, as possible included in the unit.
Due in part to increasingly stringent exhaust emission requirements, modern engines require an electronic engine management system to ensure optimal combustion of the fuel. Because of the heat-sensitive nature of the electronic components included in the engine management system, these components have traditionally been housed in a box mounted at a location remote from the engine, for example on a bulkhead. Although such an arrangement implies that the electronic components are not exposed to excessively high temperatures, it does mean that a considerable length of cabling is required between the engine and the box, thereby exposing the engine management system to possible electrical interference. Furthermore, due to the fact that the engines may be used in different applications, the length of cabling required will depend on the type of vehicle to which the engines are to be fitted. In addition, a separate mounting arrangement for the box is needed for each application.
A fuel pumping apparatus is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,543,914 for supplying fuel to an internal combustion engine. The apparatus includes a pump having a body and a solenoid operated fuel control device. The current flow to the solenoid is controlled by a control circuit located within an inner casing secured to the body of the pump. An outer casing surrounds the inner casing and defines a space which is connected with a fuel inlet, the space communicating with a fuel inlet of the pump. The flow of fuel through the space assists the cooling of the components of the control circuit.
Although the above-described arrangement allows the components of the control circuit to be located in close proximity of the pumping apparatus, the pump has to be particularly adapted to receive the inner and outer housings. In other words, existing traditional fuel pumping apparatus must be modified to be able to accommodate the control circuit components. Furthermore, since the apparatus of U.S. Pat. No. 4,543,914 requires the use of an inner and an outer casing attached to the pump, the apparatus is relatively bulky, something which may rule out the possibility of using the apparatus in confined spaces.